Worker Freedom: Kingdom Gets High Rating in Heritage Index

EDDAH, 3 April 2007 — Saudi Arabia has been ranked sixth in labor freedom with a 92.9 percent rating among 157 countries in the Economic Freedom Index issued by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation. Deputy Labor Minister Dr. Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid said the report is an affirmation of labor freedom in the country.

According to Al-Jazirah Arabic daily, only eight countries received above 90 percent in the Heritage Index. The United States was placed seventh with 92.1 percent, just below Saudi Arabia, the paper pointed out. The other top countries in the top eight were: Georgia, Singapore, Uganda, Hong Kong, Australia and Thailand.

“This is not at all a surprising report about the labor market situation in Saudi Arabia,” the minister said.

He indicated that in a previous report issued by the World Bank in September 2006 Saudi Arabia had placed 21st out of 175 countries….

This Arab News story is a bit surprising. You can read the Heritage Foundation’s ranking to see that Saudi Arabia certainly does provide a lot of freedom for business. But I think the rating factors are one-sided, to say the least. If one is a laborer in Saudi Arabia, ‘freedom’ isn’t exactly the first word that comes to mind when thinking about your job.

I suspect that the Foundation will be asked to clarify its findings….

Ironically, Arab News runs an editorial on the exploitation of expat workers in the KSA: Editorial: Protection of Workers